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Tornadoes Are Gone, But Flight Delays Remain At DFW Airport

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DFW AIRPORT (CBSDFW.COM) - Hundreds of flights at DFW International and Love Field were delayed or canceled today. The storms are long gone but the delays linger at DFW.

American Airlines says they’ll have more than 300 in and outbound flight cancellations tomorrow. Not quite as bad as what passengers went through today.

Passengers who didn’t pack their patience were in for a long wait with 400 departing flights cancelled and 40 incoming flights diverted at DFW International Airport Tuesday.

Elaine Vansteenberg, from Cedar Hill, was hoping to fly to Pittsburgh for an early Easter reunion with family. “All flights are cancelled. So, I’m waiting in line to schedule for tomorrow,” she said.

DFW International Airport reported 110 planes with varying degrees of damage after being pelted with hail.

Don McCauley, from Kentucky, saw it. “About marble sized. Made a lot of noise,” he said.

During the height of the storm, which arrived at DFW around 1:30, passengers were moved away from windows.

Vansteenberg said, “Just an area they said were safer than the others. So, we were Around gate 33 because there weren’t as many windows around there.”

Some, like Laurie Curtis, trying to fly to Athens, Georgia with two children ages nine and seven were evacuated to designated stairwells.

She opened the stairwell door and and pointed. “Up a couple of levels and there were people all up and down here,” she said.

Once the danger passed, travelers tried to connect with their luggage. “It’s frustrating,” Kirk Bechtel said at the customer service area in baggage claim. “My bag is still on the flight from West Palm. It’ll probably be redirected to my flight to Ontario, Canada tomorrow night,” he said.

Dolores Boucher, traveling with her nine-month-old, ran out of formula. “They have my bags. They just have to find them. But they told me it could take anywhere from two to four hours,” she said. An aunt and uncle who live in Plano came to her rescue.

Longtime travelers seem to take it in stride. “Ain’t my first rodeo,” Don McCauley said.

With more than 100 planes out of service, passengers should check their flight information on DFWAirport.Com and sign up for the alerts and hope to get a flight.